KNU

A group of unknown gunmen shot and killed a captain and a driver of the Karen National Liberation Army on 11 December while they were traveling by car on the Dawei –Ye road near the southern Burmese Township of Ye Byu in Tanintharyi Division. The KNLA soldiers were from a KNU 4th Brigade battalion. Padoh Saw Eh Na, joint secretary…

The Karen National Union (KNU) told Karen News that the Burmese Defense Minister, General Min Aung Hlaing said they would be revising sections of the country’s 2008 Constitution. A KNU leader claims that General Min Aung Hlaing said during a meeting with KNU officials that the government was considering revising the Constitution but would do it in its own time.…

General Ner Dah Bo Mya, the head of the Karen National Defence Organisation told Karen News that armed conflict this month in Burma is linked to plans to build hydropower dams on the Salween River. In an exclusive interview General Ner Dah explains to Karen News why he has placed his troops are on high alert. General Ner Dah said…

While the government insists it wants to end its conflicts with ethnic groups, locals in Karen State say they are still bearing the brunt of the brutal divide and conquer tactics. Recent escalation in heavy fighting in Karen State sent shockwaves through ethnic villages, shattering any trust they may have had in the current ceasefire and “peace talks” between the…

Karen News spoke exclusively with General General Baw Kyaw Heh, the Karen National Liberation Army’s Vice-Chief of Staff, explains about what the alliance between four Karen armed groups and what lies behind the recent outbreak of fighting. For the sake of clarity, Karen News has provided General Baw Kyaw Heh’s answers in full. 
Q: Who will lead the KAF? 
A:…

In an exclusive interview with Karen News, General Baw Kyaw Heh, the KNLA’s Vice-Chief of Staff, explained his decision to back the formation of a united Karen armed force called the Kawthoolei Armed Forces (KAF). Gen. Baw Kyaw explains his decision, stating that a united Karen armed forces was the best way to “reform the Karen security sector.” “In this…

In statement release yesterday, Sunday 19 October, an alliance of Karen women’s organisations gave their support to plans of four armed groups to reunite under the Kawthoolei Armed Forces (KAF) banner. The Karen Women’s Organization (KWO), the Karen Women’s Empowerment Group (KWEG) and Karen Women’s Union (KWU) said in their statement that they, “welcome the announcement, on October 13th, 2014,…

It is no secret that there is division within the Karen nation about how we should respond to the political changes that have incurred in our country since 2011. Some see the ceasefire process as a genuine opportunity to start negotiations that could give the Karen people guaranteed rights. Others see it as a trap, designed to neutralise Karen resistance…

Access to education in Karen State has been compromised by lack of accessible schools, poverty, war, displacement, and low wages for teachers – conditions made worse by a decades-long lack of government funding. Fighting to survive against successive brutal military dictatorships in Burma since 1949, the Karen people formed their own education system, completely separate from the central government. Burma’s…

The Karen Women’s Organisation has criticized the decision by the Karen National Union to suspend its membership from the United Nationalities Federal Council last month, claiming the decision was made without proper consultation with the Karen community. Speaking exclusively to Karen News, Naw K’nyaw Paw, Secretary of the KWO, said that the decision came as a surprise to many Karen…